Trigger Warning: This article includes references to sexual abuse
Paula Julie Abdul is an American pop singer, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality.
Born in 1962, she began dancing at eight and served as a senior class president and head cheerleader at Van Nuys High School. Abdul rose from cheerleader to highly sought-after choreographer in the 1980s and scored Pop-R&B hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Recently, Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit against former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe and the show’s production companies, alleging multiple sexual assaults while hosting the shows.
What is the sexual assault lawsuit against American Idol Exec Nigel Lythgoe by Paula Abdul: Explained
Who is Paula Abdul?
Paula Julie Abdul is an American pop singer, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. Born on June 19, 1962, in San Fernando Valley, California, Paula Abdul began dancing at age eight and served as senior class president and head cheerleader at Van Nuys High School. In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of Pop-R&B hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
After joining the L.A. Lakers cheerleaders, she became head cheerleader/choreographer in only a few months, eventually dropping out of college to dance and choreograph full-time. She was recruited by The Jacksons to choreograph their 1984 Torture video, the first in a long list of videos and movies she would choreograph. Abdul has achieved six number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, ranking fifth among female solo performers. She has won a Grammy for Best Music Video – Short Form and twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. She has approximately 30 million albums worldwide since her singing debut in 1988.
However, after her initial period of success, Abdul suffered a series of setbacks in her professional and personal life. She found renewed fame and success in the 2000s as a judge on the television series, , for eight years, before departing from the show.
Why did Paula Abdul sue an American Idol Executive?
Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit against former American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance producer Nigel Lythgoe and the show’s production companies, alleging multiple sexual assaults while hosting the shows. Abdul claims Lythgoe sexually assaulted her during American Idol’s initial seasons and again in 2014 while hosting So You Think You Can Dance, as per Rolling Stone.
Nigel Lythgoe produced American Idol at the height of the show’s popularity in the early and mid-2000s and last produced the show in 2014, according to his IMDB page. He produced So You Think You Can Dance from 2005 to 2014. Aside from Lythgoe, the shows’ production companies American Idol Productions, Dance Nation Productions, 19 Entertainment, and FremantleMedia North America were all listed as defendants. The listed causes of action are sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence.
